A freeze on council tax for the fifth year in a row is being proposed by Swale council.

The Tory-led authority is set to agree not to up its share of the bill when members meet on February 18.

This means households won’t pay any more for the local authority’s services.

As a result, the monthly amount for a typical Band D household in the borough would remain at £159.93, the same amount since 2010.

This does not include the additional precepts which might be owed to parish/town councils, and to Kent County Council, the police and fire service.

Cabinet member for finance, Cllr Duncan Dewar-Whalley, said: “We decided a long time ago that it would be unfair to ask people to pay more when their own finances were being squeezed, so I am delighted we are once again proposing to freeze our share of the council tax bill.

“While the scale of reductions in our funding from central government has been unprecedented, we have – thanks to careful planning and hard work – been able to protect and improve vital services for people.

“This has meant some tough decisions, and developing new, innovative ways of working, but our first priority has always been the best interests of residents.”

The proposals include details of savings worth £731,510 for 2015/16, in areas such as the waste contract, reduced need for emergency accommodation by providing a council-owned alternative, and savings from transferring assets to the community.

As well as cost savings, the other key area in balancing the budget is generating more income.

The council will benefit from a significant increase in the business rates it receives as a result of business growth in the borough and higher planning fees from new house building.

Meanwhile, parking charges have not been increased once again.

For more information about council tax, visit www.swale.gov.uk/council-tax